About David Heinemeier Hansson
David Heinemeier Hansson is a Danish programmer, entrepreneur, and the creator of the popular web application framework Ruby on Rails. He is the co-owner and CTO of 37signals, the company behind products like Basecamp and HEY. Hansson is also a New York Times best-selling author and a Le Mans class-winning racing driver.
Career
Board Member
Board Member
CTO
CTO
Education
HA.dat
HA.dat
Skills
Core technical and professional competencies derived from his work as a CTO, framework creator, and author.
Ruby on Rails
Software Architecture
System Design
Web Development
Cloud Migration
Git
Entrepreneurship
Product Strategy
Remote Work
Business Development
Team Leadership
Authoring
Minimalism
Contrarian Thinking
Public Speaking
Technical Writing
Automotive Racing
Domains
Software Development, Web Frameworks, Project Management Software
Cloud Computing (Critique), E-commerce (Shopify), Publishing
Tags
Visionary, Contrarian, Opinionated, Pragmatic, Minimalist
Remote Work, Anti-Cloud, Open Source, Entrepreneurship
Key Attributes
Ruby on Rails Creator
CTO of Basecamp and Hey
Author of Rework, It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work
WEC and IMSA Racing Driver
Topics & Interests
Ruby on Rails
Basecamp
Hey.com
Software Development
Web Development
Open Source
Remote Work
Entrepreneurship
Startups
Productivity
Minimalism
WEC
IMSA
Le Mans
Endurance Racing
Porsche
Author
Rework
It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work
Getting Real
Frequently Asked Questions
A robotic, objective summary of David Heinemeier Hansson's key professional and personal facts.
Who created the Ruby on Rails framework?
What is DHH's current role at 37signals?
He is the Co-owner and CTO of 37signals, the company behind products like Basecamp and HEY, a role he has held since September 2001.
Is DHH a Le Mans class-winning driver?
Yes, he is a professional racing driver who won the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class.
When did DHH begin working with Shopify?
He began his tenure with Shopify in November 2024, according to his publicly available career timeline data.
Is David Heinemeier Hansson a best-selling author?
Yes, he is a New York Times best-selling author, known for books co-written with Jason Fried, such as *Rework*.


